Montclair State University and Bloomfield College plan to maintain separate athletic programs for at least the first year following their impending merger, according to officials at both schools.
Bloomfield College, a small private college, will keep its NCAA Division II program, which is allowed to offer students athletic scholarships. Montclair State, a large public university, will keep its Division III program, which does not offer athletic scholarships, officials said.
The decision to keep the two athletic departments separate following the merger will have a potentially significant impact on Bloomfield College. Approximately two-thirds of student-athletes have received partial athletic scholarships over the last five years, said college spokesperson Rosa Mulryan.
“Athletics are an important part of the Bloomfield experience. The college’s Division II athletics programs will continue for at least the next year,” Mulryan said.
“The NCAA has been notified, and they will continue to be kept informed as we work closely with Montclair to explore the longer-term vision for athletics,” Mulryan said.
NCAA approval would only be required to change either school’s current division, said Montclair State University spokesperson Andrew Mees.
Montclair State University and Bloomfield College announced plans last year to fold the private college into the public university. The move is expected to save Bloomfield College, which said last year it might have to shut down due to financial problems.
The rare merger of a private university and a large public university is expected to be finalized by June 30, though the complex deal must be approved by several entities, including the state Legislature, a bank and the schools’ accrediting agency.
Six separate outside approvals remain pending for the merger, which officials at both schools have said will happen by the end of next month.
Maintaining each school’s current sports teams in two separate NCAA divisions will help with the transition as the institutions merge, school officials said.
“It is not a question of preferring one division over the other. Our intention is simply to provide some continuity for Bloomfield’s intercollegiate athletics programs,” said Mees, a spokesperson for Montclair State University.
“As we developed plans to merge, Bloomfield indicated their athletics programs are an integral part of their student experience. We agreed to keep the programs intact, at least for the first year of the merger, in order to help maintain that experience and provide continuity for the Bloomfield College student-athletes,” Mees said.
Bloomfield College has 12 athletic teams, Mulryan said. The men’s basketball team had an 18-11 record for the 2022-23 season and advanced to the semifinals of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference tournament in Philadelphia before losing to Thomas Jefferson University.
Bloomfield College will be known as Bloomfield College of Montclair State University following the merger and maintain its separate campus, located seven miles from Montclair State’s main campus.
“Together we will design a differentiated student experience at Bloomfield College of Montclair State University with the goal of great outcomes for all learners. How intercollegiate athletics factors into that design is a long-term question we will tackle together,” Mees said.
There is precedent in New Jersey for a dual arrangement. Rutgers University plays in NCAA Division I, the top level, on the New Brunswick campus. But, the state university’s other two campuses have their own teams. Rutgers-Newark and Rutgers-Camden have NCAA Division III sports programs.
Of the more than 1,100 NCAA member universities and colleges, about 300 classify their athletics programs in Division II, according to the NCAA’s website. Division II schools offer partial athletic scholarships that students may combine with academic or need-based grants, the NCAA says.
While Division III does not allow athletics scholarships, the NCAA says approximately 80% of Division III student-athletes receive some form of academic grants or need-based scholarships.
In addition to basketball, Bloomfield College has men’s teams in baseball, cross-country, soccer and track and field. It also has women’s teams in basketball, bowling, cross-country, soccer, softball, track and field and volleyball.
Montclair State currently offers 18 varsity sports to 400 students, according to its website.
Bloomfield College’s Athletics Hall of Fame inducted two former student-athletes in February, both of whom received scholarships to attend the school.
While the two schools do not need the NCAA to sign off before the merger, they are awaiting approvals from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the U.S. Department of Education, Gov. Phil Murphy, state Secretary of Higher Education Brian Bridges, the state Legislature and Provident Bank, the bank for Bloomfield College.
Lawmakers and state officials have expressed support for the merger plan.
Bloomfield College plans to hold its 150th commencement ceremony, its last before the planned merger, on May 20, officials said.
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Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com.